Precisionist Tries Return to Racing : 6-Year-Old Horse Is Something of a Failure at Stud

Precisionist, one of thoroughbred racing’s biggest money winners, is being removed from stud duty and an attempt will be made to resume his racing career.

The decision to bring Precisionist back to the track came after the 6-year-old had fertility problems during his first year at stud. Sent to Arthur Appleton’s Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Fla., by his breeder and owner, Fred Hooper, Precisionist reportedly was able to get only a few of his mares in foal.

Precisionist, while preparing for the Santa Anita Handicap in January, suffered a broken bone in a lower front leg during a workout and underwent surgery.

Greg Ferraro, the veterinarian who did the surgery, will examine new X-rays of Precisionist’s leg this week. If the injury has sufficiently healed, the horse could wind up in trainer John Russell’s barn at Hollywood Park by as early as next week.

Precisionist has won 17 races--15 of them stakes--in 36 starts and has earned $3 million, which ranks him fifth on the money list behind four retired horses--John Henry, Spend a Buck, Slew o’ Gold and Snow Chief.

In 1985, returning from a four-month layoff because of sore feet, Precisionist won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Aqueduct and later was voted the year’s champion sprinter.

Ross Fenstermaker, who trained Precisionist throughout his career, was replaced earlier this year by Russell as the conditioner for the Hooper stable in California.

“Not many horses come back from an injury like this, but we’re hopeful,” Russell said. “Any time you can get a horse of this quality and have a chance to work with him, you have to be excited.”

Russell said that a fall campaign is being tentatively planned for Precisionist.

“There’s a lot of time between now and November, and anything can happen,” Russell said. “But I suppose getting him ready for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (at Hollywood Park on Nov. 21) is something to think about.”

Russell theorized about Precisionist’s failure as a stallion.

“He went almost directly from surgery to the breeding shed,” the trainer said. “That’s a big change in a horse’s metabolism, and combined with stress may have had something to do with it.”

Russell hasn’t seen Precisionist since he left California.

“He was confined to his stall while he was standing in Florida,” Russell said, “and that’s not conducive to fitness (to race).

“But on the other hand, I’ve heard that he hasn’t put on much weight since he went to stud, and that should be to his benefit. He’s always appeared to be the kind of horse who didn’t need a lot of time to get ready for a race.”

Precisionist’s last race was a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, 1986. In the voting for last year’s best handicap horse, he finished second to Turkoman.